Marlins Receive Harsh Offseason Grade Amid Serious Roster Shake Up
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It was an offseason of change for the Miami Marlins. The writing had been on the wall for a while that the president of baseball operations, Peter Bendix, was going to eventually trade some of his starting pitchers. Just which ones were the only question.
Sandy Alcantara and Edward Cabrera were the names most mentioned that teams would covet. In the end, Bendix traded Cabrera to the Chicago Cubs and Ryan Weathers to the New York Yankees. The returns included prospects and some that are going to break into the Marlins lineup in 2026. Bendix added some players through free agency as well. David Schoenfield of ESPN graded each team as spring training games begin and he gave Miami a harsh grade, a C+.
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Miami Receives Low Grade From MLB Writer
The biggest subtractions were clearly Cabrera and Weathers. They also lost outfielder Dane Myers and first baseman Eric Wagaman, but added prospect Owen Caissie from the Cubs for Cabrera. They also signed a pair of Tampa Bay Rays in closer Pete Fairbanks and Christopher Morel.
Miami missed the playoffs after finishing four games behind the Cincinnati Reds for the final National League playoff spot. The Marlins had a minus-89 run differential and trading Cabrera and Weathers leaves Alcantara and Jason Junk as the two most experienced rotation pieces left for manager Clayton McCullough. However, Schoenfield believes cashing in on Cabrera and Weathers was a move that makes sense.
"Cashing in now on Cabrera and Weathers, two pitchers who have been both inconsistent and injury-prone, makes sense. Caissie is a bit of a divisive prospect, but he hit 22 home runs in 99 games in Triple-A last year. If Thomas White and Robby Snelling -- No. 18 and No. 47 on the top-100 prospects list -- can contribute significant innings at the major league level, the rotation might be OK anyway,'' Schoenfield wrote.
Miami still has a good rotation with some young pitchers, including Eury Pérez, who could make a big impact in 2026. They added a true closer in Fairbanks, something the backend of the rotation has been missing.
Giving the Marlins a C+ is understandable, but a little harsh. Bendix and Miami don't have the same resources as the rest of the division aside from the Washington Nationals, but they acquired Caissie, who could be a big breakout star in 2026 like Kyle Stowers did last year. Miami is still positioned to compete for a playoff spot despite the offseason moves made.
